1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to condiment reservoirs and food containers typically used in the "fast-food" industry. More particularly, the invention is directed to food containers and condiment reservoirs for containing a variety of condiments including sauces which are compatible with the food held in the companion food container, such as catsup for French fries, sweet and sour sauce for chicken nuggets, etc.
2. State of the Art
The quick-service (also known as "fast-food") restaurant industry is intensely competitive. This competition is primarily through quality, variety, and value perception of food products offered. In addition, location, speed of service, and effective marketing of new products are included among other important factors that yield a competitive advantage. Further, it is universally accepted in the industry that menu variety is an important part of customer satisfaction and that competitive advantage can also be established through a unique and diverse menu including a wide choice of condiments/sauces.
High sales are achieved in this highly competitive arena by providing quality products at everyday values. Earnings, on the other hand, are derived through careful control of food costs, labor costs, and other operating costs. Therefore, while "fast-food" restaurants constantly research new ways to gain market share, the most valuable changes are those that are made through low additional costs.
"Fast-food" restaurants were created to meet the demands of a mobile society. A principle requirement of the "fast-food" consumer is the ease in eating "fast-food" products while engaged in another activity, such as driving a car, walking, standing-waiting for a bus, etc. This is illustrated in part by the concept of the "drive up window" wherein consumers can purchase food and then actually eat while driving as they continue running errands. Presently, "fast-food" restaurants provide small packages and cups of catsup and other sauces (e.g., sweet and sour, honey mustard, etc.) that can be combined with "fast-food" products (e.g., French fries, chicken nuggets, buffalo wings, etc.). One method of combining sauce to food products is to squeeze out the sauce from said package onto a surplus food wrapper where the consumer can then begin to dip their food into the sauce. Another method is to squeeze the sauce from said package directly onto the food, a third method is to dip the food into a small cup of sauce. At the very least these options are inconvenient, in some cases not terribly appetizing and often messy. If one is not at a table, driving in one's car for instance, using the sauce on a surplus wrapper is not practical. The method of applying the sauce directly onto the food is very messy and using a cup of sauce is very awkward. As described above, most "fast-food" restaurants have drive-up windows where consumers are invited to speedily purchase a meal and eat on the run. Sometimes consumers will simply stop and eat in their car, others might stop and sit on a park bench while still others will continue on their way and must negotiate the inconvenience of eating while driving. In each scenario attempting to eat food with sauce is very inconvenient often times causing the consumer to preclude the use of any sauce, thus diminishing the culinary experience of consuming the food product.
Referring to drawing FIG. 1, the McDonald's Corporation (among others) has introduced a cardboard French fries container 10 having an enlarged opening 12 for receiving French fries (not shown). A side structure 16 having a flat lower most portion 18 forming a stable base to permit the container to be freestanding when placed on a horizontal surface. The container further includes a curved rear structure 22 and a curved frontal structure 24, wherein both structures are convex to the enlarged opening 12. A bottom structure 26 having a curved shape 28 forms the curves of curved rear structure 22 and of curved frontal structure 24 when pressed up inside the container from outside to inside. Typically fries containers are stored flat until needed. When needed, the bottom structure 26 is pressed (snapped) up into the underside of the fries container creating the enlarged opening 12 thus forming the shape of the curved rear structure 22 and the curved frontal structure 24.
The McDonald's Corporation (among others) has introduced a vacuum-formed sauce container 30 as shown in FIG. 2. This embodiment provides an upwardly projecting cup shape 32 defining a horizontally projecting plane 34 at the full perimeter of the upper most portion of the cup 32. The plane 34 is the by-product of the manufacturing method known as vacuum-forming and historically has been used only as a surface to adhere a mylar/foil seal 36 thereto to provide a hermetically sealed container for the preservation of the enclosed sauce (not shown). The seal 36 is used to maintain food safety and consumer's perception of same.
The Wendy's Corporation (among others) has introduced a folded paper sauce container 31 as shown in drawing FIG. 2A. The shape of the sauce container is generally a truncated cone, tapering to a smaller diameter in the downward direction. This container 31 provides an upwardly projecting cup shape 33 having a lip 35 around the entire perimeter of the upwardly projecting cup shape 33.
Referring to FIG. 3, the McDonald's Corporation (among others) has introduced a mylar/foil sauce package 38. The package 38 is a pillow shaped package of sauce having serrated edges 40 at two sides of said package 38. The serrations 40 are designed to simplify opening of the sauce package 38.